The major function of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and adult incontinent briefs, is to absorb and contain body exudates. Such articles are also intended to prevent body exudates from soiling, wetting, or otherwise contaminating clothing or other articles, such as bedding, that come in contact with the wearer. The most common mode of failure for such products occurs when body exudates leak out of the gaps between the article and the wearer's leg or waist to adjacent clothing because they are not immediately absorbed within the article. This is most evident with loose fecal material which is not easily absorbed by the absorbent article and tends to "float" on the top surface of the absorbent article.
Contemporary disposable diapers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 issued to Kenneth Barclay Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, have a topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core, and elasticized leg flaps to improve both wearing comfort and the ability to contain body exudates. These elasticized leg flaps prove effective generally to prevent wicking and overflow from the fluid laden diaper to clothing contacting the edges of the diaper in that the elasticized leg flaps present a liquid impervious barrier between the edge of the diaper and the contacting clothing, and in addition, provide a gasketing action about the legs of the wearer. Despite the effectiveness of such structures, however, body exudates, especially loose fecal material, can leak through the elasticized leg flaps and soil the wearer's clothing because the diaper does not constrain the free flow of such material nor provide a structure to hold it within the diaper so that as such material freely floats on the top surface of the topsheet, it tends to work its way past the elasticized leg flaps.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article which has improved containment characteristics.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having a barrier cuff which acts as a restraint against the leakage of body exudates.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having an elastically contractible gasketing cuff and a barrier cuff so as to provide a dual restraint against the leakage of body exudates, thereby improving the containment characteristics of the absorbent article, especially in regard to loose fecal material.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an absorbent article having a barrier cuff that is raised above the top surface of the topsheet when the article is fitted on the wearer such that a channel is formed which constrains and holds body exudates within the article.
These and other objects of the invention will be more readily apparaent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.